Wood Elven Hunting Practices

Wood Elven Hunting Practices
Wood Elves have few stereotypes, and often times, the wrong one is that they are “tree hugging vegetarian druids that protect all life.” Really, the case is that Wood Elves are a tribal people, that put great value into hunting. In the more extreme cases of Saria worship, Wood Elves are strictly carnivorous, because, to eat a plant would mean, in essence, you are consuming Saria. Most carnivorous Wood Elves believe that the plants and Elves are hers, but the animals, Humans, Orcs, and Dwarves, are not. Some Wood elves even consume the flesh of these races, if they believe that they do not hold the true, or purer blood of Saria.

Saviors of the Blood & Challenges
For the solely carnivorous tribes, they typically follow the ancestors of the Wolf and the Stag, which gives the hunt great reverence. Hunters become one of the most important members of these tribes, only second to the elders and druids that guide them. Each tribe has their own ceremonial title for these hunters, but the hunter-druids under the Wolf and Stag are often named “gwaredwyr y gwaed,” which translated to common tongue means, “saviors” or “protectors of the blood.”

The title “savior of the blood” means many things. Oftentimes, a carnivorous tribe cannot survive without its hunters, especially the more “man-eating” of the clans. The blood of non-kin is the only permitted food, and is required to live and remain pure, since the only true cannibalism, is the cannibalism of the Mother. Hunters also often double as warriors or guardians, which protect the tribe in times of strife or war. They are the natural-born killers of any tribe, and will die for their people, thus directly “saving the blood.” Some hunters even become peacekeepers in their retirement, with a common phrase spurring from the tradition; “One cannot prevent death if they do not know it.” Another way that hunters “save the blood” is, often, mothers have to prove to their tribe that they will bear “pure children.” The tradition decrees that “A mother that kills of the wolf or doe of her own hands, then eats of its heart and womb, will give life to a child that remains uncorrupted, for to be a child of Saria is to be a child of the wine, and there is no sweeter wine than that which pours from the decanter of life.” (An indirect translation taken from the elder of a cannibalistic tribe.)

Every hunter, not just those that wish to be mothers, often have to prove themselves. It can be in a direct manner, if they wish to become Druids, by taking a challenge from the Stag or Wolf, or by an indirect manner through giving a sacrifice to these ancestors. A sacrifice is always a difficult hunt, and can include the killing  of a rare animal, a severely dangerous one, or an extremely elusive one (stories of hunters catching an elusive fae or spirit creatures are common, though often, if the query is difficult to catch or extremely special, it is only enough to capture it, cut a piece of horn, antler, nail, hair, or fur, and then release it. These tokens are viewed as extremely magical minor boons, used in ritual or future hunts.) These challenges are taken often, through every stage of life, no matter the age. Often a minor boon is presented for any special occasion. The same query can never be hunted twice by the same hunter, if successfully caught. If the hunter fails to catch his query three times, or before it is killed by other means, then they have failed, and must lay down their bow for six months before picking it up again to chase a different challenge. If a hunter can not kill or capture any sacrificial prey after five times having laid down the bow, then they are deemed "Di-Ymddiried” or “Untrusted” and will be socially exiled from their tribe. To become Untrusted is the tribe’s way of saying that the hunter has failed them, and therefore, betrayed them.

Honor Your Query
Under the Stag, it is tradition to respect your prey, and honor every part of them. That means using every piece of what is killed — the bones, viscera, skin — not just the meat. This is common practice in every hunting tribe, not just the extremists. This is often because Elven Tribes pride themselves on being self-sufficient, and rely solely on what is “above ground,” feeling that what is below ground is not for them. Caverns are almost always declared Dark Elf territory, with mines being a gift to the Dwarves. Wood Elves often say that “the wolves have the right idea” in that, a shared or overlapping territory, specialty, or “gift” is destined to create conflict. For this reason, they have no access to metals, and must rely on more “traditional” materials. Bone and leather are important resources to the Wood Elves, just as much as stone and wood.

Kill Without A Trace
Even though tribes revere nature and plants, they are not often gentle with them. However, not leaving behind broken branches or impressions within the grass during a hunt has become a sort of art to the Wood Elves. It’s not required, but a hunter will garner great respect if they can kill without a trace. This goes well beyond the realm of the forest and hunting. Wood Elves value getting, what they call, “straight to the point” when it comes to conflict. A small group of hunters will be sent to kill the leader or war-elder of an opposing tribe, with their success often leading to the end of the war. To Wood Elves, war is not a matter of who has more people, it’s a matter of whom has more ability and power. Enemy tribesmen are also regarded as acceptable query to the Wood Elves, though, they will not eat them. Instead, they offer them to the animals in a type of cycle, only taking their bones back to the tribe. An enemy’s finger is an extreme, but well-received wedding gift to these carnivorous or war-bound tribes.

Ancestors & The Query
Hunting rituals vary from tribe to tribe, though the core of them remains the same. The hunters commune with their ancestor — the Wolf or Stag, offer a piece of an old kill or blood for luck, declare the query, then announce that the hunt has begun. Hunting horns or war horns are important for every declaration of hunt, for it is believed that when the query dies under the enchantment of a horn engraved with runes, then the spirit of the query enters the Boundless Wood, which is the greatest honor a beast can receive. Monsters are sent to the Furthest Corner, which contains their volatile spirits, so they may not return to Mentsh and reek havoc once more.